Through Adversity, We Grow Stronger
Through Adversity, We Grow Stronger
Let me start by being Captain Obvious; times are tough. The pandemic has chiseled away at so many parts of our lives. Some have lost loved ones, others may see long-term health consequences from falling ill. Depression and suicides have increased, and we yearn for the day when life will be normal again. The list of what we have lost or have put on hold through this pandemic is long for most of us. For me, worrying daily about my eighty-eight-year-old father and not being able to see my daughters, hurts. I, like many, could enter a zone of depression and wallow in my own self-pity, but I refuse. Instead of looking at this difficult time in a totally negative way, I choose to look at the positives or opportunities that have come forth.
For example, in Middle School, cohorting has created friendships that might not have blossomed otherwise. At lunch or snack, students who would have gone their separate ways now sit and talk without their phones and computers. They have learned how to be more creative in their play and to communicate verbally with each other more. Students who may not be with their core old friends have found new friends. The old friends will still be there when this is over, but I believe the new friendships will continue even so.
For example, in Middle School, cohorting has created friendships that might not have blossomed otherwise. At lunch or snack, students who would have gone their separate ways now sit and talk without their phones and computers. They have learned how to be more creative in their play and to communicate verbally with each other more. Students who may not be with their core old friends have found new friends. The old friends will still be there when this is over, but I believe the new friendships will continue even so.
Car line has allowed me to see more parents, at least with a wave. It allows me to interact with many students at the end of the day as well as to provide a treat for dogs on Fridays.
Since team sports are difficult to socially distance at this time, we have also been able to transform our PE program where we now assess and customize a program for each student, which will continue throughout their time at our school. Having students rotate through different electives has forced students to try something that may not have been their first choice of study, and now they are finding new passions. Teachers and students are learning new and positive ways to incorporate computer and even phone technology into their classrooms.
To keep us moving forward, we have to look at the glass as half full, not half empty. We have to focus on the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t make excuses and need to push ourselves to be better. We have to understand that through adversity, we grow stronger.
Since team sports are difficult to socially distance at this time, we have also been able to transform our PE program where we now assess and customize a program for each student, which will continue throughout their time at our school. Having students rotate through different electives has forced students to try something that may not have been their first choice of study, and now they are finding new passions. Teachers and students are learning new and positive ways to incorporate computer and even phone technology into their classrooms.
To keep us moving forward, we have to look at the glass as half full, not half empty. We have to focus on the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t make excuses and need to push ourselves to be better. We have to understand that through adversity, we grow stronger.
Brian Siegel
Middle School Director
- Middle School